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Mobile Mommy: Mobile Social Media & Internet Usage Stats For Moms

Edison Research just released another great study — Moms and Media 2013. There is a ton of good information in the report including key statistics showing that moms are increasingly digital, social and mobile. And as they adopt smartphones, all three of those variables increase in importance.

The Social Mom

According to Edison, 93% of moms are familiar with Facebook, which was no real change from 2012. Further, 72% have a profile page on Facebook which was basically identical to 2012. So while moms are still very active, with an 18% growth in total number of friends and checking on those friends an average of 5.1 times per day, the rate of new mommy sign-ups is leveling off. Only 6% (versus 14% last year) reported they joined Facebook in the last year. While long-timers (five or more years) jumped from 8% to 23%.

Moms are branching out on new social channels. 70% claimed awareness of Instagram and 50% reporting awareness of Pinterest. Though if you’re wondering if your brand should be on Pinterest or Instagram, you’ll want to note that Edison’s research showed that 22% of moms have a board on Pinterest while only 17% maintain an Instagram account.

The Mobile Mom

And in another important trend, moms are increasingly accessing social media platforms via their smartphone. 72% of moms reported accessing their Facebook profile via cell phone and 37% said they’ve accessed their profile via tablets. That’s up from 65% (phone) and 22% (tablet) last year. And when you ask them which method they use the most to access their Facebook profile, 45% said cell phone — a virtual tie with computer access at 46%. And this mobile access preference gets even more interesting when you compare mom access patterns with overall Facebook users — 45% of moms primarily access Facebook via a phone vs 39% of all Facebook users. So moms are 15% more likely than the average Facebook bear to access Facebook via the phone.

95% of moms own a cellphone, with 64% owning a smartphone. And she keeps it close — 89% reported that the smartphone is always or most of the time within arm’s length vs 74% for regular cell phone moms. But mom isn’t just talking on the phone, she’s texting, browsing the internet and networking on social media.

And Mom really loves her camera — phone. 54% use their smartphone at least once a day to take pictures vs 39% for the overall smartphone population. And when you consider that stat in the context of Facebook mobile access, Pinterest and Instagram account growth, you start to see a few interesting digital & mobile strategies emerge. But moms aren’t just for smartphones anymore. Almost one-third (vs 22% in 2012) claiming ownership of a tablet in this year’s research. And for 41% for those of you playing the home game. And finally, for 42% of moms — the smartphone is the first thing in her hand every morning — even before coffee –with 42% of moms claiming to use their smartphone as an alarm clock.

Digital Moms

Moms are using digital technology to multitask. Moms spend and average of 8 hrs 37 minutes a day with media — online and offline. Interestingly, 66% of them reported using the internet while watching TV. 19% reported streaming radio while at work with another 24% streaming that radio via their smartphone. This smartphone streaming is most interesting to me given Edison’s recent podcast research. And finally, while mom still lags behind dad in online video consumption, 57% reported watching a video online in the last month and 47% had done so in the last week.

If you’re brand is targeting mom — you need to download this research and give special consideration to how you’re going to target an increasingly digital and mobile mom.

From what I see, moms are busy but they still have time on her hands, and you can monetize that time, as long as you can fit your message on the smartphone she’s holding.

That’s your one free piece of marketing advice for now. But if you’d like some help thinking about how your brand can monetize mom, contact us to schedule a call, meeting or ThinkAbout.photo by: malias

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About Tom Martin

Tom is 20+ year veteran of the marketing and advertising industry with a penchant for stiff drinks, good debates and digital gadgets that helps digitally challenged companies create innovative and effective digital marketing strategies. He is the founder of Converse Digital , author of The Invisible Sale and a contributing writer for Advertising Age. Tom guides clients through the digital marketing maze and helps companies teach their sales force how to Painlessly Prospect their way to more sales. Connect with him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter or connect with him on LinkedIn.